Overalls



(No Model.)

J. A. HOHMAN & (LE. CUNNINGHAM. OVERALLS.

No. 432,669. Patented July 22, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH A. IIOI-IMAN AND CHARLES E. CUNNINGHAM, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

OVERALLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 482,669, dated July 22, 1890. Application filed April 3, 1890. Serial No. 346.367. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOSEPH A. IIOHMAN and CHARLES E. CUNNINGHAM, citizens of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have jointly invented a new and useful Improvement in earing Apparel, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in overalls and analogous articles of apparel, and has for its object the provision of means whereby the crotch and fly of such garments will be strengthened and re-enforced, all as hereinafter described, illustrated in the drawings, and specifically pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein like letters of reference point out similar parts on each figure, Figure l is a front View of the upper portion of a pair of overalls provided with continuous fly and crotch re-enforce according to our invention. Fig. 2 is a similar View, the front of the overalls being lowered to show the crotch parts and reenforced back seam. Fig. 3 is a plan of the blank from which our fly-piece and re-enforce are constructed. Fig. at represents said re-enforce partly folded, and wholly folded ready to be stitched in place. Fig. 5 is asection on the line w 00 of Fig. 1, showing the folds of cloth as they appear when attached to a garment.

In the drawings, A A are the leg-fronts of a pair of overalls, B the crotch, and B the back seam.

C is the fly-piece, which includes 0, buttonhole section of the fly proper, c the button section, and c the re-enforce for the crotch and back seam, all integral with each other, out out from a single piece of fabric.

In practicing our invention a rectangular blank is first cut out to compose integrally the full button and button-hole fly and backseam re-enforce, as shown in Fig. 3. Half of its length is then divided along the line ow to form two tongues c andc of unequal width, the tongue 0 being the wider in order to allow for necessary hemming. The blank is then folded longitudinally on itself, (see Fig. 4,) and the superincumbent parts of the undivided portion 0 secured by stitching S to one side of the front section of the garment to form a button-fly reaching from the waist band to the crotch, from whence the single layer 0' is turned and continuously extended upward on the opposite front section of the garment, to which it is flatly connected by stitching to compose the button-fly stay. Thus there is provided a double thickness of cloth in c, which forms the fly and in which the necessary button-holes are worked through and through, as common in such devices.

In practicing our improvement the folded fly c is placed on the inside of the left-leg front A in the usual positiomthe upper end secured to the waistband, while the turn or bend 0 Fig. 4, rests in the crotch and is secured in place by stitching s, the leg-front extending over to form the covering-piece a.

"The strip 0. is then extended and secured by stitching 3 outside of the edge of the rightleg front A, forming a facing-strip or re-enforce to the part carrying the buttons. free tongue 0 is then, without being folded, extended backwardly inside the garment and stitched flatly over and along the back seam B. as clearl Y shown in Fi s. 1 and 2, forming a stay or re-enforce integral with the front portions which is capable of resisting any ordinary strain to which the parts would be subjected. We deem this construction a valuable improvement over analogous device's, whereupon the crotch or other parts, after completion of the garment, separate piece or pieces have been attached for re-enforcing purposes, which are liable to be disruptedby breaking of the thread by which they are attached in place. Such additionalstays or reenforces simply provideresistancetotensionto the extent of their length or area, While our crotch and back-seam reenforcebeingintegral and continuously attached to the fly-opening on both sides cannot be ruptured. The bend at the crotch being simply a turn of the fabric provides great strengtl1,and the integral backseam strip passing therefrom provides a smooth surface, which cannot be secured by the attachment of an additional overlying piece. The objections to overlying the crotch and flies of the garment with additional reenforces, as already pointed out, are that they The will be liable to be torn away. They must,

if projected to cover the back seam, pass over and across the edges of the crotch where con- .nected to the garment. Thus there will necessarily be a series of ridges and irregular corrugations, making a rough surface that will chafe the wearer. This portion of the garment should be uniform and smooth, such as is secured by ourimprovement, which presents one uniform surface-plane, without any additional ridges, folds, or laminae of material.

By referring to the sectional view in Fig. 5 it will be seen that on the edge A, which car- J ries the buttons, there are two layers of cloth,

thus affording a secure foundation, to which the buttons may be attached by stitching or any of the improved fastening devices now in use.

The principal feature of our improvement is the perfect union and strength assured in the crotch and at thcbottom of the fly, which ordinarily is particularly liable to be ripped and torn apart.

In the device the crotch re-enfor'ce 0?, being integral with the fly c, any strain is transferred and distributed as it should be, and the same holds good with regard to the button-piece c.

WVe are aware that an independent short re-enforce stay has been laid upon the outer surface of the crotch of garments and a por tion thereof extended over the back seam and sewed permanently to the fly-opening, and we lay no claim thereto.

Having now fully described the invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

A pair of overalls or similar articles of apparel having attached to the opposite sections of the fiy-opening of the garment a continuous piece of fabric, one half of the length of which is folded upon itself and then sewed in place on the under surface of one section to compose the button-hole strip, the other half being divided lengthwise, one of. said divisions being sewed upon the upper surface of the opposite section of the garmentat the flyopeningto receive the buttons, the remainder of said divided portion forming a tongue which is extended rearwardly from the crotch and sewed flatly over the back seam of the garment as a re-enforce thereto, the upper ends of the buttoii and button-hole strips being respectively fastened to the waistband, the lower bend of said strips and tongue composing a lateral and transverse crotch-stay, all being formed integrally of a single piece of fabric, substantially as described.

JOSEPH A. HOHMAN. CHAS. E. CUNNINGHAM.

Witnesses: v,

WM. 1). WARWICK, JOHN W. SCHIFFER. 

